Removing the Blinders
For as long as I can remember I wanted to be a Physician Assistant. The dream for healthcare started in freshman year of high school and slowly developed to the path of a PA due to inspiration from my stepmom who also chose the same career. When applying to colleges I mainly focused on ones with dual degree programs–the fastest way possible to pursue my dream. College was a great experience, but also at times one big blur. I cannot even begin to think about the amount of hours I have spent studying, reading, writing, memorizing to get through the grueling science courses.
Before I continue with this post I want to be perfectly clear–I am thrilled to be a physician assistant and feel very thankful for the opportunity to do so. My inspiration and reasoning for pursuing wellness advocacy is due to my schooling in medicine. I also want to encourage others that feel the same pull to healthcare to pursue it as passionately as you can. With that said, I want to encourage you to remove the blinders. You may be asking yourself, Jess what do you mean by that? Let me explain.
Blinders are defined in two ways. The first being, pair of small screens attached to a horse's bridle to prevent it seeing sideways and behind. The second being, something that prevents someone from gaining full understanding of the situation. My largest regret as I approached my mid-twenties was that I one-hundred percent went through the end of high school and college with blinders. For the longest time the goal was to get through undergraduate studies and secure my PA school spot. Once in didactic, it was get to clinical rotations. Then quickly the goal was moved to passing boards and working as quickly as possible.
Do you see a trend there? Not once in my college experience did I ever stop and remove the blinders–not that there was much time to. The goal was also moving and when I finally achieved it all I was excited and relieved. However, about a year into practicing I began to question that journey. What if I explored other options for careers in high school, what if I took a gap year, what if I put myself out there more in college. Blinders keep you focused and get you to your goal but in turn hinder curiosity and creativity. I mean we use them on horses so the horse can do one thing–stay focused and win.
Now that I have had time to reflect on all that work and where it has brought me I challenge you to look back on your own life. Are the blinders on? Have you dropped hobbies or not pursued new ones due to lack of time, what others may think, or some other reason. I am telling you the time is now to look sideways and behind you. Let your curiosity run wild and creativity flow. You may be surprised in which directions you get pulled, I know I was.